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The nerdiness is always welcome – especially over in Cynics land! I reckon his whole Batman epic might do well to be read when it’s complete. There’s a lot to like, but also a lot to dislike. I have a review of Morrison’s run on Batman here. And then there’s the cheek of holding an event called Batman RIP and then effectively (but not actually) killing him in another event.
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Plus, when Batman is the most high profile comic book character in the world, there’s an argument to be made for making his comic book more accessible (or at least, providing an easy entry point for film fans). He’s not a science fiction pulpy hero like Superman or the X-men (both of whom Morrison handles better, in my opinion), so it’s not his style. I’m not the biggest fan of what Morrison’s done, because I don’t think high concepts like this suit Batman. Anyway, Morrison will be tracking Bruce’s return to the present in a new miniseries next month. Think of it as a more brutal Quantum Leap. Darkseid used “the omega sanction” on Bats, which basically sent his spirit back to the dawn of time as an ultimate punishment, to live and relive cycles of violence for infinity, possibly until he catches up with us. Superman recovers a decayed corpse from the aftermath wearing the iconic cowl.Ġ3.) But Batman’s not dead, because… well, we wouldn’t believe it if he were. Anyway, Darkseid is less than pleased about the whole being killed by Batman thing, so hits him with some eye beams.
#ART OF DEDUCTION BLOG SERIES#
Anyway, the series ends with Batman breaking his one rule (actually his two rules), by drawing a gun and killing Darkseid with a bullet Darkseid had used to kill his own son but Batman had kept handy because… he’s Batman. Batman, despite being unconscious, managed to screw up this plan royally, killing all the clones.
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Turns out Batman survived his horrible helicopter crash long enough to get abducted by an alien warlord – the Jack Kirby creation Darkseid – who decided to clone an army of Batmen to help him to conquer the world. This all reached a climax with the storyline Batman RIP (in which Batman is flown into Gotham Harbour while wrestling with his mystery opponent), which is a slightly misleading title because…Ġ2.) Grant Morrison also wrote the next big DC crossover event, the equally misleadingly-titled Final Crisis. Basically, this all foreshadowed the end of Bruce Wayne, with replacement Batman, and a mastermind claiming to be his father (who had faked his own death). Basically he started this big epic about “the black hand”, a sinister supervillain cabel conspiring to bring down Batman, and rewriting the character’s history to include ALL aspects of his past (including retconning his “off-world” adventures as a mind-altering psychodelic experience he underwent). Okay, I don’t apologise, I enjoy this stuff – but I acknowledge it’s geeky.Ġ1.) Writer Grant Morrison took over the main Batman title after DC’s last big crisis (okay, there was one arc written by another writer, but it has been Morrison’s since). This going to get geeky, so I apologise in advance. They don’t call him the world’s greatest detective for nothing. Riddler?Īnd the scariest part? He’s 100% right. O’Hara: It all adds up to a sinister riddle… Riddle-er. Robin: But wait! It happened at sea! See? “C” for Catwoman!īatman: Yet - that exploding shark was pulling my leg! Gordon: You mean, where there’s a fish, there could be a Penguin. Batman and the Boy Wonder have just been attacked by a shark, leading to the infamous “Bat Shark Repellent” scene, and the Caped Crusader (because it’s just… wrong to call Adam West’s version of the character the Dark Knight) must figure out who was behind the plot:īatman: Pretty fishy what happened to me on that ladder. In recognition of that fact, and in acknowledgement of Grant Morrison’s description of his book as the Adam West television show filtered through the lens of David Lynch, I give you perhaps my favourite moment of 1960s Batman, from Batman: The Movie. My copy of Grant Morrison’s Batman & Robin hardcover should be shipping from Amazon today.
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